Picture Perfect
by Greentulip
Summary: A girl with auburn hair passed by him. When she did, she dropped something. He was about to give it back when he saw what it was. It was a polaroid picture of him looking tired and stressed. Under it was a simple word written neatly in italics "Breathe."


Hello! Greentulip here.

_Please don't boo me._

Anyhow, school starts tomorrow. I have dance academy this semester. LULZ, watch me fail. Epically, of course.

And, I got early access to Pottermore! Been playing since Thusday, I think? (I'm a huge Potterhead, so excuse moi).

**_HOW COOL IS THAT, HUH?_**

It's not so cool when you're a Hufflepuff though.

(I wanted to be Ravenclaw or Slytherin. But, being a Badger is more preferable than a Lion.)

I am proud to say that, even though this was a long time coming...

MY FLAMES OF YOUTH ARE BURNING VIBRANTLY! AND AS SUCH, I DON'T HAVE TO RUN AROUND KONOHA ON MY HANDS! YOSH!

Hahaha, just kitten.

I am proud to show you the prologue of Picture Perfect!

_**DISCLAIMED.**_

**PS. PLEASE CHECK MY PROFILE FOR A POLL REGARDING THE MAIN PAIRINGS!**

* * *

_Unconsciousness seemed to lap at every fiber of her being; beckoning her into its dark embrace._

_But, curiosity kept it at bay as a humming sound hovered from above her._

_Lowly… gruffly… randomly, yes, but surely, _

_-there was humming._

_With an accompaniment of rustling leaves, chirping birds and an orchestra manned by insects and mammals alike, the lulling sound the rough voice created as it intertwined beautifully with nature's sound was making it very difficult to stay… cohe… rent…_

…_it stopped?_

_She felt fingers tread through her hair. _

_Though calloused and rough, it was warm and gentle. _

_It felt… Well, nice._

"_You don't know do you?" the voice sighed resignedly._

'_..-Wait..-What?' she tried to voice out her confusion, but through the haze of sleep and fatigue, it came out as a grunt._

_The hand stilled and silence enveloped her. _

_The silence stretched for so long, that she let herself succumb to the darkness that was pulling her deeper._

_She never did hear his next words._

_-;-_

_-;-_

Do you remember a time when you were younger, more naïve, more innocent-

Ah! Wait. That was wrong.

Let's try again, shall we?

Do you remember a time when it was a hot summer day?

It's two in the afternoon and your grandfather is herding you and your cousins to sleep in an air-conditioned room. You all get into position, trying your best to get comfortable with all the limbs sprawled beside you.

It would've been annoying, if not for the fact that you've been doing this for years; that it becomes a much-awaited routine and the only problem you seem to be having is:

_'Who took my blanket?'_

Try to remember a time when it was raining outside.

It's dark, cold and the car is enveloped in a dull silence as you try to sink into the hard yet softly-textured back seat. You fidget once, twice, thrice, and so much more times until you've lost count and give up-

Willing yourself instead to focus on the rain drops; silently betting on which one would reach the bottom first.

You ignore the blur of colors on the other side of the window, your eyes unflinchingly trained on the droplet you placed your bet on, so you hardly notice the stop light turn green and your father is off once again, steering the car as one would in a video game.

You barely remember the adrenaline pumping through your veins, your heart pounding in your ears, that little voice in your head chanting: 'you're gonna die' over and over again.

No, you only remember the droplet you bet on, going sideways, never reaching bottom; for it flew away: being disqualified for reasons it had no control over.

You mourn your droplet for all but two seconds before you turn your attention to a new one.

Fast forward some years later and you now remember your parents telling you to sleep in the afternoon. You vaguely recall the younger you stubbornly say _"no."_ while your parents go into a well worn-out rant, saying: _"in the future, you won't be able to sleep in the afternoon, like you'll want to," _you give a snort at the prospect of even WANTING to sleep in the afternoon.

Yet, they continue as if you never interrupted _"-because everything will move on, no one will wait for you; and you'll drown in a sea of work if you even TRY and doze off."_ And you sit there, classifying everything they're saying as nonsense until everything becomes a jumble of stern words, tears, and rough-handling.

And now, as you sit there; frantically trying to finish your thesis, you glance at the clock that glaringly indicates that it's half-past three in the morning, and you idly wonder when your mom will come marching in holding a banner saying:

'I told you so.'

When you think back on your short life, walking through a melancholy road called memory lane,

-Do you think about that one birthday when you spilled soda all over your sister's dress because she took a piece of your favorite chocolate cake?

Or do you think about the suppers when you were told to escort your frail grandmother from her room to the dining table?

Do you instantly reminisce the day you graduated from middle school, looking all pretty and dolled-up,

Or perhaps you remember one of the countless times you fell asleep in the living room, after a long day at elementary school, and waking up in your toasty-warm bed the next morning?

Do you remember the name of your best friend in the second grade?

How about your current one's?

Try and remember your favorite color last year.

Is it still the same as this year's?

You see, memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are…

-and the things you never want to lose.

It can range from the split second of idly recalling the color of the leaves strewn on the cobble path,

_Red._

Or, it can be something that you have to think about longer than you usually would. Like say, perhaps, the birthday of your brother?

**_I don't know._**

_-;-_

_'Those weren't leaves, you know.'_

* * *

_**Patient number:**_51289

_**Name:**__ Unavailable_

_**DOB (mm/dd/yy):**__ Unavailable_

_**Date added to medical records:**__ (04/18/XX)_

_**Patient room number:**__ 201_

_**Medical history:**__ Unavailable_

_**Notes on the surgery; noted by: Dr. Hoshino Hoshio**_

**Headed by: Drs. Hoshino (certified trauma and neurosurgeon), Amamiya (head anesthesiologist), and Makihara (certified orthopedic surgeon)**

**The patient was brought into Seirei Hamamatsu General Hospital at approximately 1:18 in the morning due to a head-on collision with a vehicle on Shibuya Street, Hime hi-way route 257.**

**After proper diagnosis, patient was brought into operating room number five; where blood pressure and oxygenation levels were stabilized to 160/100 and 80 per cent respectively, with the administration of 100 mg of Diazoxide 30 mg boluses IV and 35 mg lidocaine accompanied by RSI.**

**Patient was subjected to extensive head trauma causing hematoma and a depressed skull fracture, resulting to a concussion in the cerebrum and heavy blood clotting. Accompanying the head injuries are:**

**An open fractured tibia, four broken ribs- one puncturing the lung causing internal bleeding, a dislocated spinal disc, torn spleen, inflammation in the lower back muscles, and a complete fracture in the radius and ulna.**

**The surgery, to return the body in a stabilized condition, took 12 hours. **

**Patient shall be constantly monitored for progress and shall be advised to undergo physical and mental therapy and rehabilitation when deemed fit by my colleagues and I.**

**Due to the various head injuries, patient is expected to have some form of memory lapsing or in the worst case, amnesia. **

**Further tests and examinations shall be conducted once the patient wakes up.**

* * *

_Edited: (04/19/XX)_

_**Patient number:**_51289

_**Name:**__ Mikan Yukihara_

_**DOB (mm/dd/yy):**__ 01/01/XX_

_**Date added to SHGH medical records:**__ (04/18/XX)_

_**Patient room number:**__ 201_

_**Medical history:**__ Please refer to patient's medical records filed under: **MY2-01**_

**Patient appears to have fallen into a coma (PGSC: 3) - familial relatives have arrived and allowed the continuation and of the administration of pain-relieving drugs, proper fluids, and nutritional supplements; and the use of proper ventilation, monitoring, and intubation instruments.**

* * *

_**Q. **_Are you studying the medical field?

_**A. **_No, I am not. The information used in this chapter are all made possible by research. And please do not use the information I stated here in an intellectual conversation with a professional. The reason is that: though I did my best to research and apply correct information, I was simply _too_ lazy to read everything, and thus may not be correct. But, if you can correct it, I'd be more than happy to comply.

_**Q. **_What is PGSC?

_**A. **_The Paediatric Glasgow Coma Scale is used to assess the mental state of adult patients. The lowest possible PGCS (the sum) is 3 (deep coma or death) whilst the highest is 15 (fully awake and aware person). (It is a chart, by the way.)

_**Q. **_Can you even SURVIVE those injuries?

_**A. **_LULZ, I have no idea. I hope so, though! Or else my story will end in chapter 1.

_**Q. **_Who wrote the memory quote?

_**A. **_Kevin Arnold

_**Q. **_Can you be my beta reader?

_**A. **_Yes! As long as they aren't Twilight stories and Ginny/Harry stories, I'm fine. Contact me for deats.

_"Hope for the best, prepare for the worst."_

**My heart goes to those affected by Irene.**

JA~

-GT.


End file.
